Teaching & Learning

That teachers are indispensable and irreplaceable was irrefutably driven home during the pandemic when children were holed up in their homes for two years. Most people would agree that kids are better off in physical schools with in-person instruction ….

According to UNICEF’s website, inclusive education “allows students of all backgrounds to learn and grow side by side, to the benefit of all.” While educational institutions may aspire to this laudable goal, being ‘inclusive’ in the broadest sense of…

What can students do to foster critical thinking in the classroom?   That students may blossom into creative and critical thinkers is one of the main tenets of education. Yet, teaching in classrooms continues to follow an old-fashioned delivery model,…

Students should move beyond rote memorisation to “higher-order thinking”. This is a concept recognised by most school boards. Most Indian boards make it a point to include “higher-order thinking” questions in exams, while the IGCSE schools tend to fo…

Does your professor like you? Does he/she think you’re capable? Or, treat you as if you are incompetent? Does your lecturer appreciate your diligence or disapprove of your lackadaisical attitude? Does he/she believe that your tardiness is a personal character…

When Classes 9 and 10 enacted The Merchant of Venice, Tarun received a standing ovation. His authentic and nuanced portrayal of Shylock stunned the audience, who believed the kid was indeed gifted. But a week later, Tarun’s academic report told…

Though we generally believe that teachers teach and students learn, the two fundamental processes that constitute education — teaching and learning — are actually deeply interwoven. The best teachers are those who keep learning and stretching themselves by engaging and…

Does it make sense to ask students questions about a concept they haven’t yet been introduced to? Does it matter if questions are posed at the beginning, middle or end of a unit? In his book, Small Teaching, English professor…

When students read a piece of text, silently, on their own, teachers hope that their pupils understand the content. To assess their comprehension, teachers usually ask students to answer a variety of questions, which include multiple choice, fill-in-the-blanks, short and…